CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF INFANTS WITH PROLONGED JAUNDICE

OBJECTIVE: Prolonged unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia is a type of neonatal jaundice, which occurs in newborns with high bilirubin levels (> 8 mg/dl) persisting beyond 14-21 postnatal days. This study was carried out to evaluate and determine the clinical and laboratory characteristics of infants with prolonged jaundice and underling causes.MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted on newborn infants diagnosed with prolonged unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia during January 2018 and December 2018 at our pediatric outpatient clinic. The demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics of these patients were recorded and then analyzed.RESULTS: In total, 91 infants diagnosed with prolonged jaundice and 65 healthy newborn infants as control group were enrolled in this study. Of the infants with prolonged jaundice, mean birth-weight was 3152 ± 504 g (1800-4300 g), mean gestational age was 38.2 ± 1.6 weeks (35-41 weeks), and mean total bilirubin level at the time of diagnosis was 10.98 ± 2.3 mg/dL (8-18.7 mg/dL). There was male sex dominance in prolonged jaundice group (61.5%) Time to reach birth-weight was longer in infants with prolonged jaundice than control group (p = 0.02). The underlying etiologies of prolonged jaundice were as follows: breast milk (45%), congenital hypothyroidism (9.9%) and urinary tract infection (4.4%).CONCLUSIONS: Determining the main causes of prolonged jaundice in neonates is of paramount importance. In the majority of cases, neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is associated with physiological factors like breastfeeding